The Accidental Housekeep
by NovemberDoll
Summary: She was the epitome of Yamato Nadeshiko: beautiful, pure-hearted, feminine. But one bottle of hard liquor was all it took for that perfection to slip, and she falls into the clutches of a golden-eyed heir with a notorious reputation. He won't let her go that easily: because she had (literally) set his world on fire. (AU, Light reading ;)) COMPLETE! :)
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_** Have a break. Light and breezy, free of heavy drama. So if this isn't your thing, do whatever makes you happy.

You stayed? Thanks! This won't be a long one. 3-5 chapters, promise.

 _Yamato Nadeshiko_ \- a personification of an idealized Japanese woman

 _Miyabi_ \- elegance, refinement

* * *

 ** _When Curiosity Killed the Cat_**

* * *

"They say he towers seven feet tall, his face frozen in perpetual stoic. If you look directly into his eyes, you immediately burst into flames. Then you melt into a puddle, or crumble into ashes. Either way." She looked at the younger girl on the screen of the video chat and raised a brow.

She was looking back at her with utter suspicion.

"You don't say." The kimono-clad girl answered dryly. "And I assume he eats puppies for breakfast, and bathes in the blood of virgins at night?" she pondered, "I bet he also breathes out fire."

The woman rolled her eyes. "I'm not kidding, Kagome. That's what I literally heard. From his employees."

"They rarely see him, Sango. Just like how our employees rarely see me. I'm pretty sure the rumors about me are as nasty as his," she paused, "if not worse,"

"Who are you kidding?!" Sango grabbed the edges of the laptop and she turned the screen around, to focus the camera to the large family portrait displayed on the wall of the large suite. In it were three distinguished people: the Big Boss Naraku, his exquisite wife Kagura, and their one and only daughter, Kagome.

The two business giants held tense shoulders and strict smiles, their facial expressions sufficient for maintenance to bypass the AC and allow their cold stares to freeze the room over. But the young lady between them was a different story: it almost looked like she was photoshopped into the family. Her shoulders and back straight in an elegant confidence. Her small face and figure as fragile as a porcelain doll, her head tilted delicately at an angle, allowing her hair to fall naturally over her shoulders-

And a soft, warm smile that completely obliterated whatever evil vibes her parents were giving out.

"In case you've been deaf for the last eighteen years, make it known that they call you _Miyabi doll_ , or _Yamato Nadeshiko_ , or-"

"That's because I have a team of couturiers watching me like hawks, devouring me alive if I dare step out of the room with a hairpin out of place." Kagome shook her head as Sango turned the screen back to herself, and raised another brow. But the heiress continued on anyway, "So I'm thankful... that you guys allow me to slip away once in a while."

Sango sighed, "Yeah, yeah." She waved her hand in dismissal, "Back to the topic. Kagome... that Taisho heir. Please be very careful around him. He's volatile, unpredictable, explosive-"

"Sango. Just how many synonyms do you have to reference to prove your point? I get it." She sighed. "Besides, my only role for today is smile and welcome him to Japan. Papa won't be here to formally greet him until the week after, so I'm taking his place while we wait for his return."

Sango nodded her head eagerly.

"And I won't be seeing him very often, either. I doubt that I'll even be seeing him after our meeting. I heard he's a no-nonsense man, he'd have better things to do than to take a leisurely stroll around the area-"

"I don't know about that, Kagome. I heard the deal being negotiated between your father and Touga-sama is quite important.

So important, actually, that Touga-sama's eldest son flew all the way from the US to handle the matter himself."

Sango paused to lament. The Taisho patriarch had the bad case of the flu, hence sending his heir over. Which was no problem, except for the rumors. Those damn rumors: for how warm and cordial Touga Taisho was, his eldest was the polar _opposite._

"I'll be okay, Sango. Don't worry. Although I have no idea what this deal is all about, I know it's really important. Papa even murmurs about it in his sleep," she giggled, the memory of her drooling father uttering, ' _Do we have a deal, Taisho-san?'_

The girl then breathed deeply, collecting her thoughts. "I know first impressions are critical. So I'll be very careful. One wrong move might change his mind,"

Sango nodded her head. "I know you'll do well, Kagome." Sango smiled at her cousin reassuringly. She was confident with her, even in her innocence and age, Sango knew this as a fact. "You always end up charming even our pickiest clients."

Kagome laughed softly, "Well if all else fails, we have this bottle of whiskey my father sent to give him, to do the impressing," she wagged her brows playfully, "Ah, I wonder what is it with liquor and men. Can you imagine, Sango, this bottle alone costs 200 thousand _US dollars_? Mama said it has a name, too. _Diamond Jubilee_." She smiled, thoroughly amused. "Doesn't it sound cute? They name their liquors like they name special events,"

Sango laughed at her cousin's pleased expression, with her blue doe- eyes and parted lips it made her look like an innocent child who had seen a butterfly for the first time.

"Still. Whiskey is whiskey. They all smell like gasoline to me," Sango shuddered,"So I'll hang up now. I have to set up the room for our meeting later. Come early, I have your kimono here and I'll help you with the layers before the Taisho heir comes."

Kagome nodded her head.

Sango gave her a skeptical glare, "Are you coming in your usual get-up again?"

The girl scratched the back of her head and laughed, "Uhm, yeah. I don't want to hassle anyone when I enter. And I don't want to draw attention when I'm just by myself."

Sango huffed. The image of her teenage cousin wearing a cheap hoodie, torn jeans, and oversized baseball-cap appeared in her mind. It would be okay if it stopped there, but it didn't.

She paired it with dirty white tennis shoes with mismatched laces. But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was, she (gasp) had to hide her _intense_ sky-blue eyes behind dark, knockoff sunglasses. Sango had cried an entire three days the first time that tragic event happened, but her tears did not deter her cousin's goal.

And the get-up seemed to work, despite looking like an early sketch of the _Unabomber_ , her heiress cousin had somehow convinced security that she was part of the housekeeping team. So they continued along with the weird routine for almost three years now, but only when Naraku and Kagura were not around.

"Kagome. I'm sorry to tell you this but you will have to get used to being in the spotlight at all times,"

"I understand," Kagome gave her a weak smile, "I know." She meekly searched her eyes, "But before that comes, allow me to relish in my privacy for a tiny bit more…"

Sango sighed, "You know I can't deny you. Now come along, I'll see you here in an hour."

The kimono-clad girl beamed at her brightly. "Hai." She bowed down, and the screen dimmed to black.

* * *

She greeted the security guards as she entered, and they nodded their heads in acknowledgment. Kagome cast her head down, suppressing a smile to herself, secretly pleased at her anonymity. She was forever thankful for all the stability in her life, but she also appreciated these little moments when she could be this normal girl whose slightest movements were not scrutinized by the public eye.

She clutched the innocuous paper bag on her arms closer to herself. In it was an important peace treaty: the rare $200,000 whiskey, their welcome gift to the notoriously frightening Taisho heir. Kagome embraced herself, trying to shake away the rising feelings of nervousness.

Sango was usually a very reliable source.

What if everything she said was true?

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened before her. She stepped in the lift, in between two office employees. One was holding cake, the other one holding champagne.

"Surprise party?" Kagome asked, about to push the button to her floor when she realized they were headed to the same destination.

The man holding the cake nodded. "Birthday," Cake-san answered, and the doors closed.

The candles flickered in the cozy-lit elevator. Kagome took her sunglasses off and remained quiet, and the three settled into a companionable silence as they waited while they were being lifted to their floor. Instrumental music trickled through the speakers, and Champagne-san started tapping his feet to a saxophone-version of some 90's power ballad.

 _"_ _They all smell like gasoline to me,"_ Sango's comment suddenly popped into her head. Kagome had to close her eyes, trying to concentrate on the _muzak_ being played _._

She tried to concentrate.

 _Oh, how she tried._

A curiosity like no other awakened in the heiress:

Kagome never tried alcohol.

She never even _smelled_ alcohol.

Why did people seem to fall into a relaxed spell whenever they took a sip of this curious liquid? Why did her family have a collection of these aged liquors inside glass shelves, proudly displayed in their dining room?

Her Papa and Mama told her it was forbidden. _Especially_ to her.

But she wasn't even allowed to watch TV shows past 8 pm. She was not allowed to read the _Love Advice_ section of the newspapers. They had been overly-protective that way, and she didn't mind. But now, the liquor was in her hands… and no one else knew who she was at the moment, right?

It wasn't as if she was going to try it, anyway.

 _Just a smell_ , she thought, as her shaky hands reached inside the paper bag…

 _Please,_

 _Just one whiff_ …

She pleaded, her hands settling lightly on the cap…

And she pushed her thumb against the rim.

It popped open, and the spirit of the whiskey rushed out of the bottle like a powerful miasma, punching her in the nose, invading into her windpipe, straight into her freaking LUNGS _._

Ding!

The elevator suddenly opened, and Kagome burst into horrible fits of pulmonic coughing. The man holding the champagne was startled by the girl's sudden hacking, that his bottle dropped out of his grasp. It rolled to the floor, out of the elevator. Kagome blindly walked forward, her eyes burning and watering.

And the blinded girl did not see the deadly trap that was under her feet.

She stepped on the champagne bottle, and she slipped.

She felt her gut rise to her throat as the world before her plunged down. And she grimaced, realizing that it was actually _her_ who was falling, face first to the floor. She closed her eyes, knowing very well the doom she was about to meet.

But the doom did not meet her.

Instead of face planting, she landed on top of what she thought was a cushion…or so she thought was.

She pushed herself up and halted… and their eyes met.

Definitely not a cushion.

It was a human: a white-haired, golden-eyed, living, breathing human. He was looking back at her with equal, if not more, shock, and Kagome blinked as he continued to stare at her with the most unreadable expression in his eyes.

Something was definitely amiss, and then it dawned on her:

Why was there a red flush to his cheeks?

She suddenly stiffened when another unrelated realization hit her like ton of bricks.

 _Diamond Jubilee!_

Her vision trailed down: her hands were on his firm chest, she was wound snugly between his legs. She did not notice his hands around her waist. And a gasp escaped her lips the moment she saw: the whiskey bottle laid on his (equally firm) abs:

EMPTY.

It had spilled all over the man, he was drenched from waist-up. Kagome abruptly pulled away, but as she did she tripped _Cake-san_ who was following closely behind.

And she watched, in slow motion, as the freaking pastry flew to the white-haired man and landed on his body. The candle's flame sparked, and his whiskey-drenched shirt _caught fire._

Kagome's eyes flew open in horror. Gasps arose from the background as a useless audience had gathered around them, too stunned to react to the bizarre happening.

The heiress sprang up to retrieve the fire extinguisher. Now at her hands, she aimed the nozzle at the flaming man and sprayed. The smoke detector beeped, the fire alarm blared.

And the sprinklers went off, sending the entire floor into a premature indoor downpour.

Under the artificial rain, in the middle of the drenched, dumbstruck audience with perfect O-shaped mouths, was a frozen teenager with a fire-extinguisher in her hands, staring at a white-haired man on the floor; smothered in white foam with a smoking shirt: _half_ -shirt…the entire left part of the clothing had been shamefully charred off.

"Boss, are you alright?!" A group of men came running to the _Apocalypse_ survivor, and upon hearing the honorific, her gut twisted so badly in a heavy, ominous premonition.

"Boss?" She melted to the wet floor, as the shower of the sprinklers continued to soak her form. The girl remained frozen as the group of men helped support the boss up, one grabbing a jacket to cover his exposed torso.

And she looked up as the man stood to his full height-

And he stared down at her with the coldest amber eyes she had ever seen.

"Taisho-sama! What happened?!" Another man ran up to him, and that was when heaven came crashing down to earth, slamming her in between. She stared at the embroidered name of the handkerchief that was jutting out of his unburnt breast pocket.

"S. Taisho?" She barely croaked the initials,

"Sesshomaru Taisho." He confirmed, with such a ruthless expression, devoid of any emotion she may as well be staring into an unfathomable abyss, "And you are?"

"Uh…" she uttered, aware of all eyes on her, aware of his eyes on her, and she blurted out the first thing that jumped into her mind:

"I am... from _Housekeeping?_ "


	2. Chapter 2

**_Demoted_**

* * *

 _They say he towers seven feet tall, his face frozen in perpetual stoic._

She stared at him, at the man with an impossibly unreadable face, and she paled. The ice statue was grilling her with an intense glare.

 _If you look directly into his eyes, you immediately burst into flames._

She would have closed her own eyes, but she could not look away. The accidental housekeep felt her cheeks burn under his stare: She felt she was on fire.

She gasped, knowing all too well what the last verse of the prophecy was:

 _Then you melt into a puddle, or crumble into ashes. Eitherway._

The girl abruptly fell into a dogeza, her forehead touching the floor in complete submission. "I'm sorry!" She wailed, "Please, I'm very sorry!"

The Taisho heir stepped back, raising a vain, elegant brow. His subordinates looked at each other in confusion.

"Diamond Jubilee," the girl murmured, "it's all gone…" Her shoulders shook as she lamented her fate. What happened to first impressions? What happened to charming the panties out of him?

She couldn't tell him her real identity!

Not after… _this!_

Her father will surely lose the deal.

Images of her drooling father, asleep on the couch, muttering _"Do we have a deal, Taisho-san?"_ Replayed over and over in her head, and it crushed her heart, realizing that it was _she_ who blew it.

"Janitor-san," Sesshomaru stated, but she cut him short-

"I'm sorry," she looked up from her prostration, and the Taisho heir reeled back, for a completely different reason. Her blue eyes were wide and glistening with tears, streaking down her cheeks shamelessly. The girl was genuinely heartbroken. "Please, I'm usually not this clumsy…" she shut her eyes tight and shook her head in regret, "It was an accident, a stupid accident,"

She was never the one to cry in front of strangers. But she had always been the perfect daughter, she walked on eggshells every day- controlled all her movements, always uttered a _Yes, mama,_ _Yes, papa_ … and just the one instance she tried to cheat,

This was what it brought her to?

She cried her regret out. She did not realize the room had become awfully quiet until her sobs calmed down, and she lifted her gaze and stiffened.

An outstretched hand was before her eyes, and she looked further up.

It was the Taisho heir, reaching out to her pathetic, drenched form. "I was going to ask if you were alright," his face remained stoic, but his eyes were laced with something else. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Kagome was dumbfounded. Unable to answer she only stared at his hand, and he sighed in exhaustion. He withdrew his offer, but the next thing he did caught her off guard. He slid his new suit off, the one that covered his tattered shirt, and draped it on her trembling form.

His eyes suddenly steeled as he turned to the gathered audience. "What are you all staring at?"

His entourage snapped in attention. They immediately dispersed, shooing the crowd away as if they were buzzards gathering on scavenge, and the wet room had finally cleared, the people resuming to their own business.

"Jaken, call the local fire department." Sesshomaru ordered one of his subordinates, "Tell them it was a false alarm. Next thing we know they'll cause a ruckus and arrive with lights and sirens-"

He paused, when he felt a soft tug on his remaining sleeve. He turned around and looked down. The woman was only up to his chest level, looking up at him with those unusual blue eyes.

"Th-thank you," she mewled, wiping the tears on the corners of her eyes. "The rumors about you, I thought-" Kagome suddenly froze, when she felt a tight grip circle around her wrist. Her brows met in confusion. "Eh?"

"What are you thanking me for?" He dragged her closer and bent down, talking so low he had to hover his face close, too close for the naive heiress' comfort. She felt her stomach cringe.

"You embarrassed me in front of an entire floor of employees, you burned my $15,000 suit, and in my whole professional life, I was _never_ late for any meetings.

Never... until _now_."

Kagome watched in horror as the "Poor Misunderstood Boss" image she built of him crumbled before her very eyes. The warmth was replaced by a malicious glint, all the while the stoic mask remained plastered in his beautiful face. The man towering before her grabbed her other wrist, now dragging her unreasonably closer as he whispered in her ear: "You think I will let you get away with this so easily, _Janitor-san_?" He felt the girl shudder as he drew her so close that personal space was obliterated. Their noses touched, "I'll make you pay for what you did."

Kagome gulped, "How much?" She naively whispered, and the Taisho heir had to blink back in confusion, but he realized his lapse of control. He slowly shook his head.

The drenched girl's eyes widened. "N-not money?"

Sesshomaru nodded.

"Then with what?" She blurted out.

And a smirk broke through his mask of stone. At that moment, the girl wished she had a megaphone with her so she could scream: THE RUMORS ARE TRUE!

The smirk that was building in the corner of his lips froze her blood. She pulled away, terrified for her life. But he held fast, and he started walking forward, dragging the clueless girl with him. "You're coming with me." He stated as his entourage followed, and they walked past the offices, past a narrow hallway, towards another large private lobby.

Kagome knew the area by heart, behind the double doors was her father's suite- where they were supposed to hold the meeting.

* * *

"So Ms. Higurashi could- could not be with us t..today?" Jaken stuttered, as he stole a sideways glance to his boss beside him. The Taisho heir was still at his stoic mask, which was a good sign: he was not upset.

"Y-yes." A hesitant Sango answered, as she tried to connect her blatant lies. When their guest walked into the suite, with his burned _and_ drenched clothes on his person, with a flustered and soaked Kagome in tow, she immediately had an idea of what happened. Only one thing confirmed it: Diamond Jubilee was not in her hands.

So whatever twist of fate and star alignment had occurred to make the worst case scenario happen to her poor little heiress cousin did, and she resigned all logic in her head to think of the many ways on _how_ it happened. The reality was right in front of her eyes.

"She is… sick." Sango sighed, relieved that she had come up with the most plausible reason of her absence. The girl in the Taisho-heir's clutches sighed heavily, equally relieved that she was able to catch on the ruse.

"That is unfortunate," Sesshomaru said, "Extend my wishes for her recovery."

Sango nodded, laughing nervously. She looked to her side- to the other people in the room. Two other men- HR Director Shippo, and Chief Marketing Executive Kouga.

All holding sour faces, totally not pleased with what was happening.

They had been aware of the housekeep-ruse that the heiress was pulling of for three years, actually, they were the only ones aware. But what bothered them was something else: Specifically-

on the Taisho heir's hand still on their precious _Miyabi_ Doll.

He had been holding her wrist, possessively, for the entirety of the meeting.

"If there is nothing else we need to discuss here then I shall be on my way. I need some shut-eye, especially after this…" Sesshomaru stared down at his _Walking-dead_ get-up, "Unconventional welcome." Without warning he stood up, his whole entourage following. He tugged the flustered Kagome along with him.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold your horses. Just where are you going taking our _housekeep_?" Shippo interjected, standing from his position.

Sesshomaru paused and turned. And the young red-headed entrepreneur lifted his chin up, refusing to be intimidated by his frighteningly emotionless stare.

"She has a debt to me, and she is obligated to pay." The heir answered, golden eyes absolutely freezing the room over.

Kouga then shot up from his seat. "We'll pay for your ruined suit." He walked over, "And any 'emotional distress' she has caused you. Hand her back to us," and attempted to snatch her from him,

But Sesshomaru yanked the woman, manhandling her behind him. "It is absolutely touching to see how you value your employees," Sesshomaru stated, and it was Shippo who huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Of course. She is..." Shippo caught his tongue before carelessly blurted out their secret, "She is housekeeping. A vital part of our workforce." he added, aware that at this point he sounded utterly ridiculous: "What would we do without her taking the trash out in every room? What would happen if she didn't clean out the dreaded _Breakroom Fridge_ every Sunday?" He shook his head morosely. "The Tragedy. Without her, we cannot function as a whole."

Behind the heir, Kagome gaped in disbelief.

An elegant brow shot up. "She is not bound by contract to you," Sesshomaru countered, "I do not see why you have the rights to her-"

"She is bound to the company." Kouga stepped up to argue. "She is… in a three-year contract with us. Whatever commitments she will have should be approved by me." he scrambled to make sense, "I know… because I am.. the _Housekeeping Supervisor._ " He finished lamely.

Kagome slapped her hand on her face.

"Well then, that makes things easier." Sesshomaru said. "As your guest, I take the liberties of borrowing one of your personnel for her services during my stay here in Japan. She will be staying in my rented estate as my personal maid." He turned around and waved nonchalantly, "I appreciate your hospitality. I won't forget to mention this to Higurashi-sama."

As the Taisho group reached the large doorway, Sesshomaru halted to a dead stop. The girl broke free from his grip and ran the opposite direction, towards the open arms of the _Housekeeping Supervisor_ and engulfed herself in his tight, worried embrace.

Unbeknownst to them, the Taisho heir's golden eyes, for some reason, subtly narrowed.

And unbeknownst to the Taisho heir, her "Supervisor" was her best friend since childhood, and was married to her first cousin Ayame.

"I'll be alright," she whispered, "It's just a week. What could go wrong?"

Kouga clenched his teeth in restraint. Her other cousins Shippo and Sango leaned closer to join in, and before the Marketing Chief could plant an assuring kiss on her forehead, he realized he was kissing air.

The petite woman was snatched away by the silver-haired business magnate.

 _"_ Such unnecessary sentiments," Sesshomaru quipped, his hands curling around her waist. "Let's go. Tsk, what a hassle, keeping your boss waiting."

Kagome wanted to protest, but she couldn't. She had buried her and her family deep into her lie, and there was no turning back at this point.

As they exited the building his hand remained at the small of her waist, and only pulled it away when he opened the door to lead her into the backseat of his Ferrari.

"Thank you," she murmured, unconsciously bowing down and she stepped inside.

They sat beside each other, her gaze fixated on the view of the road. She stole a glance at him, his eyes were glued to his iPhone.

She bit her lip as she looked away.

 _What the hell have I gotten myself into._

* * *

She never looked at him during the entire trip, and the Taisho heir was thankful. If she did, she would have noticed him stealing frequent glances. He tilted his phone especially away from her, at the same time, making sure the screen did not hit the reflective windows of the luxury car.

It would be trouble if she would have seen.

An email report was just wired in: about a certain _Kagome Higurashi_ ,

And he scrolled down, pictures of the blue-eyed heiress in candid shots; in formal parties, in casual lunches with her family, and plain-clothed but absolutely beautiful, in the middle of charity work and fundraising events.

The tycoon put his phone down and set his hand on the leather seat. The side of his hand accidentally brushed hers, and he instantly pulled back.

Sesshomaru stole a glance at the girl beside him. She remained unperturbed from her thoughts, her blue eyes reflecting the lights and gigantic billboards of the city.

The young heir looked away, frowning at the fact that she did not even notice their contact.

He loosened his half-tie and cleared his throat,

painfully conscious of the close proximity between them.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Wife-Material_**

* * *

Kagome looked around her, rubbing her shoulders from the cold in the large marble bathroom. She saw a bathrobe hanging on the rack, and hesitantly, she stripped off her dirty clothes and put the surprisingly thin material on. She proceeded towards the complicated shower. At first she only stared at the endless knobs and controls, befuddled.

It was then that it hit her.

 _"_ _You can clean up so I can prepare for dinner." He said, dropping her off the bathroom and disappeared into a corner._

Dinner?

 _He wants me to clean up, so he can prepare for dinner_. She gasped, her blood frozen cold.

 _Maybe... just maybe... he really does bathe in the blood of virgins at night!_

That should only mean one thing...

She _is_ dinner!

* * *

Sesshomaru rummaged through the cupboard and took out a pot and a couple of pans, filling one pot with water and bringing it to a boil. He slid out the chopping board from the compartment and laid it on the countertop, throwing in a bunch of fresh vegetables.

He suddenly paused, now that he was alone, he had time to gather his thoughts.

 _"_ _They say she looks like a living doll, her face perpetually beautiful whatever expression she holds," Inuyasha said dreamily, scrolling the Higurashi family's Facebook page. "If you look directly into her eyes, you are immediately sucked into a universe where you wish only both you and her exist. Her charm is so strong she'll make you want to jump off a skyscraper willingly, if she told you to."_

 _"_ _You don't say," Sesshomaru answered dryly. "And I assume flowers sprout on the ground she walks on, she slays the fearsome dragon with just her magical voice." He pondered. "I bet she also farts out rainbows and cries stardust."_

 _Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'm not kidding, Onii-san. That's what I literally heard. From her employees. Gosh…imagine if I had a wife like her,"_

 _"_ _You gullible idiot." Sesshomaru paused. "I'm sure they are just rumors, and she is one of those spineless, two-faced girls with fake personalities."_

 _"_ _What the hell's wrong with you?" Inuyasha gave him a sidelong glance. "Bitter much? It's not like you met her personally. I'm beginning to think you might be jealous of me." He brought his gaze back to the screen before him, his eyes immediately melting as he continued his ogling. "Besides, the deal… it doesn't involve you._

 _You're only there to assess." He sighed. "Onii-san, I hope the rumors are true." Inuyasha finished, flowers floating in his giddy aura._

 _Sesshomaru did not budge, a sarcastic look was plastered to his face._ ** _The memory of a kimono-clad young woman bowing before him, with blue eyes and a deceiving warm smile surfaced in his mind: "Take care of yourself, Ouji-sama!"_**

 _The heir chuckled. "I bet you a thousand dollars, they're not."_

He wanted to hate her. Go about with his business professionally, but when she stumbled in front of him from the elevator and their eyes met, all his resolve vaporized into thin air. "Tch," he chuckled to himself, and to the fact that he owed his brother a thousand dollars. He opened the knife drawer and took out his professional-grade _Chef's Knife_ and honing steel, as he absently sharpened the blade in preparation to cut the raw ingredients.

His eyes then worriedly darted to the other room, to the direction of the guest bathroom. His gaze then drifted to the clock on the kitchen wall: twenty minutes had passed since he dropped her in.

His honing steel and knife dropped carelessly on the floor, and he left the boiling water on the gas range and ran towards her direction.

* * *

Kagome did not know how long she stood in the middle of the bathroom, all she knew was that she was paralyzed with fear.

"Calm down, silly girl," she pressed her hand across her heart, "What are you thinking about, virgin sacrifices! Haha," she shook her head, "He seems to be a nice man," she reached forward and turned a knob she thought was the rain shower. But the side showers assaulted her from left to right, and she fumbled for the knobs, activating the rest of the showerheads.

That was when the knocking on her door started. Panicked, she unknowingly adjusted the temperature knob, and it dropped to the lowest possible Fahrenheit- to the freezing point.

She yelped in shock.

* * *

"Oy, are you alright in there?" He tried to sound casual. Sesshomaru could hear the shower running from the inside, and he drew back, trying to reel in his possible overreaction. He stepped away from the door but the moment he did, he heard a feminine yelp.

"Kagome! Are you okay!?" He knocked frantically, and she did not answer. Gathering all his strength he barged in the door, breaking the locks and he stumbled inside. And when he did, his gaze immediately searched for a possibly injured young woman.

But _possibly injured young woman_ was not present _._ He stiffened at the sight before him.

He thought he stumbled into a straight-out _ecchi_ scene. His little hostage was in the middle of the shower, in full-on bathrobe- his bathrobe. She attempted to cover her sinfully tempting lady parts with her arms. But the thin material of her robe was soaked, and still soaking under the running shower, rendering it virtually transparent as her hair and the flimsy cloth clung to her skin.

He swallowed as he tried to moisten his suddenly parched throat.

"I-" she said as they stared at each other dumbly. Sesshomaru finally snapped into his senses, and he turned to walk away when,

"Wait!" She called out, and he almost groaned aloud. He forced himself to turn to her, but only halfway to her, painfully aware of the bulge that was starting to form on his crotch.

The girl was trembling from the cold. "I'm sorry… but I don't know how to turn this thing off,"

* * *

He sat at the coffee table in front of her, patting down the water off her head. The girl was on the couch wrapped with the thickest blanket, and she waited quietly as he wiped her hair down like a father to a little toddler.

 _When she asked for his help he went into autopilot mode, too distracted to think of anything. He brushed past her to turn off the shower, walked to his room and blindly grabbed clothes from his drawer, pulled the plushest blanket on his bed, threw it to the girl as he shut the broken bathroom door and sighed in exhaustion._

"I'm sorry if I caused any trouble," she said, and he continued his ministrations, never really pausing. "We use an _ofuro_ at home, my father likes to imagine he is living in the feudal era."

"Hn," He simply answered, but Kagome was unsure. It was hard to tell, especially with that stoic expression on his face.

She took in a deep breath, "Earlier, I think I heard you call me by some name-"

"You were hallucinating." He dismissed. She cast her gaze down as he continued to towel-dry her head.

"Oh."

It was weird that he never even asked for her name. So far he had been addressing her as "Hey", or the occasional "Oy," but then again, she was just a lowly housekeep, he probably didn't care.

"You've been distracted about something since we arrived." He suddenly said. "Are you worried about your boyfriend,"

Kagome had to pause, taken by the sudden query. Of course she would be distracted, she was coerced to become his _maid_! Him throwing in that random reasoning of a six-year-old…especially the tone of his voice he used at the last part of the sentence- it sounded quite… _accusatory_.

She looked at him, confused, but his face remained the same. She decided to let this weird moment pass.

"It may sound odd, but the only interaction I have with men who are not family is casual acquaintance, or strictly business. Except for Kouga-kun…" she answered. "But he's technically family."

She did not notice Sesshomaru's sudden pause. She continued, "My family watches over me like hawks. They're very protective," she laughed nervously,

"It's kind of embarrassing… A lot of times, people come up to me asking if I liked their gift. I go in having no idea that they even gave me something. You can't imagine the lengths my family would go through just to keep everyone else away from my perimeter."

She suddenly perked up, a thought crossing her head. "If you agree, Sesshomaru-sama,

you can be my friend."

He did not answer, nor even move for long moments. Kagome's eyes flew wide as it dawned on her- damn her incessant ranting! "Well, because it's totally normal, you know, for people to give the janitors thank-you gifts… for cleaning their office, or dumping their trash-" She bit her tongue, _shut up! You're making it worse, dum-dum!,_ "The Higurashi group values cleanliness above-"

"You can consider me as one." He suddenly said, and she paused, caught off-guard.

She lifted her stare, and their gazes locked.

"Your friend." He clarified. "You can consider me as one of your friends."

She stared at him for what seemed like forever, and her face bloomed into a smile. One of the elite, befriending a working class employee! He was not that evil and heartless after all!

"I'm so happy!" She bowed down, the towel still over her head. "Sesshomaru-sama, you'll be my first boy - _friend,_ " she laughed at the thought, and he remained silent. She smiled, her hand reaching out at the wrist of his sleeve, "Say, Sesshomaru…sama…"

"Hmmm?" He pulled the towel off her and slung it casually over his shoulder.

"How tall are you?" She suddenly asked.

"6'2." He brought his golden gaze to her, and paused. "What's with that disappointed look on your face?"

Kagome averted her gaze. "It would have been cooler if you were really seven feet tall," she murmured, and his brow raised.

"What are you talking about?"

She pulled her hand away and shook her head, "Ah, n-nothing!" She smiled at him sweetly, "I said you are absolutely adorable." she said, reaching out and cupping his face on her hands, tilting her head sideways and amping up her saccharine smile and manipulative blush.

She did not notice her actions- it only went out as reflex, being with her cousins all the time, this was how she secretly manipulated them to stop whatever they were tormenting her with. Sango and Ayame would only roll their eyes and continue probing, but to her male cousins, they always fell for the act- hook line and sinker.

She did not expect it to work on this man with ironclad emotions, so was to her surprise when the Taisho heir suddenly hung his head down and turned away. Sesshomaru cleared his throat and stood up, heading straight to the kitchen. His back facing her, he began to slice the vegetables he laid out earlier.

Kagome stood up, lugging the plush blanket with her, and stopped behind him. "Sesshomaru-sama? Do you want me to help you with the food-"

"No." He dismissed, refusing to turn around.

"Then I'll start setting the table,"

"I already did that." He answered, and Kagome turned around and indeed, the table was already set. Kagome slowly took a peek at the suddenly withdrawn man. He was abnormally preoccupied with his cooking, and there was a flush on his cheeks, most probably from the boiling cauldron before him.

Had it not been for the presence of the hot steam, she might have assumed that he was blushing.

She giggled at the thought. What would it take for this perpetually stoic man to blush? Plus the sight of him in the kitchen, with his long hair on a loose ponytail; wearing an apron and chopping away vegetables and stirring soup… it almost made him look _wife-material_.

She pointed to the fruits, "How about I-"

"No."

 _So much for needing a housekeep,_ she pouted. _If he doesn't really need me then he should just let me go. I have better things to do_. Kagome stomped towards the living room and settled herself on the couch.

* * *

"Hey," he strode into the room with a full glass of wine on his hand. "Dinner's ready," He stalked to the couch and found her cocooned heavily in his blankets, fast asleep.

Sesshomaru breathed out in exhaustion and he sank on the floor, leaning on the couch she was laying on. He listened to the ticking of the clock in the silence of the house.

He massaged his temples, trying to quell a looming headache. "And to think I stepped into this mess, already compromised."

He turned to the sleeping woman,

And he sighed.

He recalled the first time he met her. It was a year ago at a fundraiser event, and he had an unfortunate allergy to someone's freaking perfume. His eyes were bloodshot and it watered like crazy, and he was sneezing nonstop. His nose red, his face flushed.

He was a mess, and he was totally unrecognizable.

And just when he thought he would stop breathing, a gentle hand pulled him away from the crowd, away from the suffocating perfume, and he was dragged towards an empty balcony. Just the sheer space and the breathtaking night view of Tokyo opened his lungs and he breathed.

She asked if he was okay. He shook his head, and she "Tsk" ed, and offered him some over-the-counter allergy pills. And he took it, as he leaned on the railing and tried to catch his breath.

She stayed with him, stroking his back in comfort until he regained his normal breathing. And he turned, expecting to see a middle-aged mother figure, preparing himself for a long Diatribe of _"Knowing your allergies and bringing your emergency medicine. Kids these days, (cue in a morose sigh.) "_

But it was to his surprise to see a young teen, clad in an elaborate kimono. Her warm hands settled on his, her blue eyes focused on him in concern. "Are you okay now?" She asked, and he nodded, his speech failing him.

Her face bloomed to the prettiest smile.

"Ah, I'm glad!" She blushed, laughing in relief. Her hand withdrew and he suddenly found himself secretly protesting her absence. "Mama also experiences sudden allergy attacks. She has a sensitive nose, just like you, Ouji-sama! That's why I always bring spare medicine with me."

He only stared at her like a lovestruck puppy, his faculties shutting down.

"Kagome!" Someone called out from the crowd,

"Eh, that's my cousin." She murmured. "I have to show myself before they summon hell." She bowed before him and regained her smile, "That medicine should last 12 hours. Take care of yourself, Ouji-sama!"

She disappeared into the crowd, but he already recognized the name. For the rest of the night he kept his eyes on her, but somehow he couldn't find the courage to walk up to her and introduce himself. So he sent her a complimentary drink-

which the waiter brought back, rejected.

The next day he anonymously sent her flowers from his hotel to her suite.

It was mailed back to him.

He invited her in facebook.

His invite was declined.

And so he flew back to California, believing that she was one of those two-faced brats. But now, thinking about his rejected advances last year, he thought of their conversation earlier.

 _"_ _My family watches over me like hawks."_

 _"_ _I go in having no idea that they even gave me something."_

 _"_ _You can't imagine the lengths my family would go through just to keep everyone else away from my perimeter. "_

He turned to the sleeping girl beside him. Thick, long lashes were lining her closed eyes as he watched her sleeping peacefully. He stared at her for long moments, until he finally shifted. Sesshomaru hid his eyes in the shade of his bangs, as a stain of red slowly crept onto his cheeks.

He reached out to pull the covers up to her shoulders, and the back of his hand brushed her face.

His blush flared, "You should have just stayed as the two-faced brat that I assumed you were. It would have made this _assessment_ a hell of a lot easier."

He sat limply as he struggled to suppress his raging blush, and the tingle to his hand where her face touched. And he stole a glance again at the vulnerable girl, whose lips were curled to a blissful smile.

He took a generous swig of wine and looked away, struggling to control himself.

* * *

She woke up early in the morning, already being used to waking up before the sun rose. She sat up and stretched. Kagome peeled herself from her blankets, and paused.

The Taisho heir was on the floor, leaning on the couch and sound asleep. Quietly Kagome slid out, draping her blanket over him and tiptoed to the kitchen. She headed straight to the fridge to rummage.

Her stomach was growling- she skipped dinner last night.

Kagome licked her lips when she saw some suitable ingredients. But the moment she did, she stiffened. She drew back, her brows meeting in confusion.

She licked her lips again, and she ended up touching it.

There was a rather bittersweet taste… kind of like grape juice… except, stronger? It was something she had never tasted before. And she was pretty sure she didn't eat or drink anything before she fell asleep.

Shrugging away her confusion, she reached out into the fridge to start her routine.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N:_** Second to the last chapter! Gosh that was quicker than I thought. I'll be uploading the final one pretty soon, too. Thanks.

* * *

 ** _(Almost) Playing House_**

* * *

 _The Taisho patriarch stood firm-shouldered, his back facing his heir as he stared at the view of San Francisco Bay. Fog was starting to creep underneath and over the Golden Gate again, the city was bustling with life in the cold morning. "Son, your assessment is crucial for this deal to go through. I will want your honest opinion, I trust your judgment more than anything else; even more than mine."_

 _"_ _Understood." Sesshomaru said as he bowed down in observance of tradition. They were in California, but his father made sure they never forgot their roots._

 _"_ _It's very rare for Naraku to negotiate such a deal with us." He paused, "So rare, I'd say once in a lifetime. So don't hesitate to call me once you've reached a decision."_

 _"_ _Of course I will." The heir answered._

 _The patriarch's calm face crumpled into an unsightly grimace, and he lurched down and sneezed. He rubbed his nose, sniffling. "Damn this flu."_

Sesshomaru's eyes fluttered open, finally waking up from his rather fragmented sleep. He tried to shift but pain came shooting down his neck and back - he was not on bed, he fell asleep last night sitting down. He shifted his position to massage his aching muscles when his hand knocked something down.

It was an empty wineglass.

The Taisho heir sat unmoving on the floor in a trance. He absently lifted his hand and touched his lips, recalling last night:

Of the tingling sensation of stolen kisses and soft ebony hair.

He hung his head in shame, resigning to the fact that in a mere two days, he was reduced to a creepy closet pervert.

Sesshomaru snapped from his musings when he heard a shuffling, and he lifted his gaze.

She was crouched before him, smiling like the ray of sunshine she was.

"Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama," she greeted.

He was beginning to believe that flowers really sprouted from the ground she stepped on.

* * *

She laughed softly. His stoic expression didn't really faze her- she was practically raised by two parents who ate death threats for breakfast and shot melting glares at the slightest displeasure.

And the scary part was, she had become _immune_.

"Eh, aren't you gonna greet me back?" She reached out and _flicked his forehead_.

The heir drew back, blinking in shock. But that seemed to have done the trick, because it finally snapped him out of whatever trance he was on. "Good morning," he finally answered, albeit hesitantly. He rubbed his forehead, and that was when she took his hand.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up, I'm already so hungry! I wanted to cook you breakfast like a proper maid, but I don't know how to use our gas range," She tugged at him impatiently, and he followed like a limp scarecrow. His eyes never left her, the girl's long lashes fluttered as she tried to avoid her blue eyes from coming in contact with his. "Back at home, I kindle some firewood and light up the hearth…even cooking is no exception from papa's feudal-era rule…"

He suddenly planted his feet on the ground.

Kagome turned to him: he was looking down at her with the most _done_ expression on his face.

Her smile faded. "What's wrong?"

"What are you wearing?" He croaked out.

She looked down at her state of clothing. "It's what you gave me last night." She brought her gaze back to him. He looked as if he were a confused vulture-

It was the weirdest thing she had ever seen.

She released her hand and shifted her attention to the eggs she was beating. It was kind of unusual when he handed her 'clothes' last night-

A button-up, long-sleeve shirt. Just that.

But beggars can't be choosers. And so that was what she wore. The sleeves too long it covered her hands, the collar still crisp from unuse, at least it was long enough to cover her lady parts: the shirt ended on her upper thighs.

He swallowed, the sensation of nails grinding down his throat.

"Sesshomaru-sama, can you please hand me a Tamagoyaki pan?" She pointed to an open cupboard.

Sesshomaru turned the gas range on, and rummaged through the high cupboard for that elusive little pan, trying to keep his mind out of the gutter. But his eyes couldn't help but wander-

The girl was constantly trying to pull down the ends of her shirt.

It rode up every time she reached for something.

"Sorry," she explained as Sesshomaru continued to search for the little thing, trying to tame his evil wandering eyes.

"What are you apologizing for?" He tried to calm his raging hormones down. He breathed out in relief when his hands felt the shape of the square cookware,

"I didn't want to flash you." She continued, as he started to pull the small pan out very carefully. He had to be: One wrong move and it would send him underneath a devastating torrent of metal pots,

"Uh, all my clothes are in the dirty bin," she admitted, "I'm not wearing anything underneath."

A loud crashing noise filled the kitchen.

She turned, startled. Sesshomaru was buried underneath a mountain of stainless steel cookware and cast iron pans.

"Kami, are you alright?!" She rushed to him, falling on all fours and digging him out of the metal mountain. Once she uncovered the last pot over his head she heard him sigh. Not a waking-up sigh, nor a dreamy sigh; it was an exhausted, _old-man_ sigh.

Her blue gaze shifted to him, searching for a reason for his sudden disappointment. Her lips curled downward.

She opened her mouth to try to explain, but she found out she couldn't-

she was causing a lot of trouble for him.

And she then cast her head down, confused at her own frustration.

Sesshomaru suddenly stood up, and to the girl's surprise, he scooped her up in his arms, bridal-style, and deposited her gently on one of the dining chairs. He walked straight to the gas range, put his housewife apron on and started cooking.

"Err, Sesshomaru-sama, let me-"

"Just sit there. Don't bother."

Kagome bit her lip, "Then let me at least tidy up that mess on the floor-"

"I'll do it." His dismissive tone stung at her conscience, and somehow, her heart. He continued his task, never sparing her a glance.

Then, a tug at his sleeve. He paused what he was doing, and turned around. She was right behind him, too close behind him- "Sesshomaru-sama…"

"Are you always this gullible?" He snapped, and she stepped back, confused at his anger. "Walking around in a man's shirt, coming too close and invading someone else's personal space…

Do you always wear your heart on your sleeve?

Are you like this to every man you meet?!"

Kagome looked away, and her eyes glazed over. The girl opened her mouth and hesitated. "You see, that's because I," she sputtered, "That's because you-" she struggled, "Last year we-" she shut her mouth, and a cacophony of emotions passed through her blue eyes. Finally…. "Sorry." She forced a smile and bowed down, "I'll make sure I keep my distance," she stepped back and turned, when a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her, forcing her to turn back.

Sesshomaru roughly yanked her towards him. "I'll forgive your one-time transgression, _janitor-_ san. As long as you swear you'll stop being so trusting to every other man," his clutch grew tighter,

"Except for me."

He threw her hand down and abruptly turned, swiftly transferring the bacon and eggs he had been cooking, brushed past her, placed the plate on the table and walked out of the dining room.

Kagome was left in the middle of the large kitchen, standing as still as a statue. His last words left the heaviest shade of red on her cheeks.

* * *

Sango glanced at the Taisho heir for the umpteenth time. He had been quite restless for the entire meeting. His eyes would constantly dart to his watch, tap his pen impatiently-

And when the meeting was finally concluded, he stood up and attempted to leave the room, not even uttering a customary goodbye.

"Taisho-sama," she called out, and he paused as he turned around, his golden eyes glaring. The people were trickling out of the room, and Sango waited until most of the people had left.

"Make it quick," he said distractedly.

"Why, you have somewhere to go to?" She stalled, producing a large paper bag.

"I have a girl whose mental clock seems to be stuck in the feudal era, and right now she is home alone." Sesshomaru answered. "I can't trust her with modern technology. If I dally any further she will have reduced the house to a pile of ashes,"

Sango paused, taking time to let what he said to her sink in. She tried to suppress her smile. "That girl has served two of the most notorious monsters that I've known in my life, I'm sure she can survive three hours without you, Taisho-sama."

"Hn," he chuckled dryly, raising an elegant brow.

"Here," she said, shoving the large paper bag before him. "Some clothes,"

"For the janitor?" Sesshomaru inquired as he took a peek inside. "Silk kimonos." He stated. "How generous."

Sango cleared her throat. Drats, she didn't think this through. "We… uh, take good care of our employees."

The Taisho heir gave her one last look. And it was hard to read with the impossibly stoic look on his face. "If you say so."

* * *

Sesshomaru had missed lunch before. During long-haul travels, hectic schedules and sheer exhaustion. Skipping a meal or two had never bothered him, but as his eyes darted to his watch and it showed 14:30, his anxiety level had already hit the roof. He stepped out of the car with Sango's paper bag in tow, and another large plastic bag-

Take-out.

He was deathly sure his hostage was withered up on the couch, as limp as a noodle and her little stomach growling from the pains of hunger. "Hey," he called for her as he entered the door, and he worriedly scanned through the room for the shirt-clad girl.

He heard a soft cough, and he released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Her familiar voice mewled, and her head slowly peeked from the corner like a timid little kitten, "Uh, you're back so early," she smiled nervously.

"I brought you lunch," he said as he strode towards her, the girl's blue eyes immediately widening.

"You can leave it there, I'll be out in just a second-"

Sesshomaru tsk'ed, "Ridiculous. Just what are you hiding there?"

She cowered, "Nothing… just… trying to clean up-" before she could finish her sentence, he found himself stunned. The dining room was a black mess, as if a dust bomb had just exploded in the middle of the day.

"What-"

"Sorry," she looked down, curling to herself protectively, "I tried to clean the room, but I didn't know how to operate this-" she tilted the vacuum away from her. The bag had indeed exploded, how that happened- even his litigator-mind could not comprehend. "We use plain brooms at home, and I-"

He took her hand and tugged her away into the kitchen. "I'll clean it up later," he said, and she looked up at him, blinking back the tears.

He wanted to touch her cheek and smile reassuringly. He wanted to tell her that it was alright, he was not mad. But he had to restrain himself- it would be highly out of character for him, he didn't want to scare her away. Taking her as hostage had already taken off trust points. And so he settled to handing her the lunch.

"Heat this in the microwave for two minutes," he said absently. She was still wearing his shirt, but she had his apron tied over it, her hair in a loose ponytail that she let hang at one side of her shoulder.

And she was still tugging the shirt down.

Damn the Teasing Gods.

"Just like this?" She asked, and he nodded his head, trying too hard to avoid looking her way.

"Just shove it inside and press two," he waved off, and the microwave oven beeped as she did.

"Uhm, Sesshomaru?" She suddenly fretted, and he shut his eyes tight, the roll of his name on her tongue without the usual honorifics awakening the creepy pervert in him.

"What." He answered, shifting to suppress the painful ache between his crotch that was bound to manifest.

"Is this supposed to light up like this?"

He opened his eyes. Inside the microwave was the _Fourth of July_ , bangs and explosions rattling the usually sturdy contraption. He forgot: there was freaking aluminum foil in the take-out. He rushed to the small oven but it started smoking- and sparks started flying from the outlet.

He reached out, but soft hands pulled him from behind, locking him in a restraining embrace. "Don't touch it, you idiot!" she pleaded with the bluest eyes, and it was when he finally regained his common sense. He grabbed the nearby circuit breaker and pulled down.

In the abnormal darkness of the house, he could feel her heart wildly beating against his back. He turned to her, and she clung to him, scared out of her wits.

"I'm sorry," she dug her face into his chest.

Sesshomaru tightened his hold on her, "It's my fault, I forgot to tell you about the aluminum-"

She shook her head, and he stroked her hair.

"Let's get you out of this place." He finally said. "You don't belong here."

* * *

The girl didn't really say anything as they sat in the car, waiting for them to arrive at their destination. She noticed though, the buildings were getting sparser, they were headed away from the city. It was to her surprise when she looked through the windows of the car that she knew the neighborhood-

They passed by large traditional structures, owned by eccentric businessmen and figures that wanted dwellings as far away from civilization as possible. Her eyes widened when they even passed by their own estate- and she turned to Sesshomaru who was sitting quietly beside her, as stoic as ever.

"I rented one without the fuss of technology," he said, secretly hoping to put a smile on her face.

But she only hung her head and kept silent, her lips curling down.

They remained silent for the rest of the trip.

* * *

When they arrived at their destination, Kagome couldn't help but smile. It was beautiful- as beautiful as her own home. She knew the owners, they were away for most of the year and would only rent their home out to people they really trusted.

And the thought of her and the Taisho heir alone in the estate- it was like playing house. But she remembered all that happened in the modern home, and she bit her lips and hung her head yet again in shame. She bowed to the Taisho heir. "Excuse me, Sesshomaru, while I change my clothes."

* * *

She went straight to the maid's quarters. She knew where the separate building was- and it only heightened Sesshomaru's confusion. She should be comfortable by now, why was she walking around as if her cat died?

A soft tap on the Shoji screen roused him from his musings.

"Sesshomaru, your bath is ready."

He slid the screen open and found the girl standing before him, clad in a summer yukata, holding out a larger one for him. "I made sure the water was warm enough," she bowed, "Take your time. Dinner will be ready by the time you're done." She turned to leave when his hand shot out and he grabbed her wrist.

"You don't have to do this," he said, but she shook her head, refusing eye contact.

She tried to pull away, "It's no biggie, I'm used to-"

"I know you're not a housekeep." He dropped, and her blue eyes widened fractionally. "I know who you are. So it's alright.

Really, Kagome. You don't have to serve me.

You're not my maid… and I don't intend to make you one."

She wanted to turn away, but he tugged her closer, prodding her to look at him. And she contemplated for quite a while.

"I want…" she hesitated, "I want to show you that I'm not an idiot." She finally shifted her gaze to him, "I can learn if you teach me. I'm not a total ditz… I know how to navigate the computer, I know how to use the smart TV…"

"Kagome,"

"It's just that… those things… it was my first time having hands-on experience, and mama and papa only raised me too sheltered to a fault. So I'm not stupid,"

He reached out and settled his hand on her cheek. "You don't have to explain yourself,"

"Let me prove to you that I can keep a house tidy. That I can cook a decent meal for an entire family," she paused, "It didn't seem like that for the past days, but I'm really good at taking care of people, Sesshomaru." She held her breath, "I can… I can take care of you-"

The pair fell silent. And when her words finally sunk in, they both looked away at the same time, missing the blush exploding on each other's cheeks. His grip to her hand loosened.

She took the opportunity to pull away and disappear into the corner.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_** Okay, so I cheated. I'm going over five chapters: I'm ending at six. Hehe, sorry. I tried, though. But at least we have a proper ending! :)

It's in the bag- an American idiom, which means _as good as done_ , or _secured with certainty._

* * *

 ** _Dealbreaker_**

* * *

"Just how many people do you think are in this household, woman?" Sesshomaru said in disbelief, mentally gaping at the feast before him. It was overflowing with Japanese Gourmet, and how the girl was able to cook up a storm on such short notice was just a mystery to him. He brought his gaze up, and she there she was, hesitantly smiling.

"Try some?" She meekly prodded.

He reached out for an appetizer and took a bite. "It's good."

"Ah, I'm glad!" She laughed, her hand reaching over the table and wrapping it on her own. She bowed down,"Please, dig in, Sesshomaru!" The girl beamed, and the man couldn't help but stare. The gesture strongly reminded him of the night at the party, when she did the exact same thing: when she took his hand and gushed.

And right now, he was staring at her like a lovestruck puppy- just like the first time.

Kagome cleared her throat, and he snapped back to the present.

Her eyes were cast down, her lips curled downwards in an unspoken disappointment. "I'm sorry," she murmured, withdrawing her hand. "Please, continue your meal. I'll leave you at peace," she made gestures to stand when he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Wait," he said, struggling to find the words.

How many times had he passed by her snapchat and instagram, how many "accidental" clicks to open her facebook and twitter account? Even his father, who was not the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to online affairs, had said it himself:

 _"_ _Stop stalking her."_

 _"_ _I don't know what you're talking about." Sesshomaru feigned ignorance as he closed his laptop._

 _"_ _Naraku's girl," Touga nonchalantly teased. "Ever since she turned sixteen, you've been leaving her name and her social media accounts littered in my browser history, Captain Obvious." He pulled the laptop out of his hands and opened it. He turned the laptop towards his son. "See?" Touga shook his head morosely, showing him what was on Sesshomaru's screen: Kagome's Snapchat feed._

 _"_ _And she's what now, eighteen? Tsk. Don't you think two years is a long time to be in hiding? Son, I thought you had more balls than that." He then proceeded to throw a card at his lap,_

 _Sesshomaru picked the card up, "What's this?"_

 _"_ _A fundraiser event." Touga answered. "At Tokyo. I want you to go and represent our family. Don't let me down."_

 _There was a mischievous smirk on his father's face, but Sesshomaru decided to ignore it._

Even after the party and his disillusionment, he never really unfollowed her. He would still find himself passing by her snapchat and Instagram, "accidentally" clicking on her facebook and twitter.

And now, he was literally at his hands. Living, breathing, responding. And maybe, just maybe, last year's rejection was all just a misunderstanding.

Maybe he had a chance, after all.

"Have a drink with me," he blurted out, and he inwardly cringed. He wanted to rewind time, but he was too emotionally involved now to care. The girl he had been secretly pining for the longest time was right in front of him, he was not going to lose her again.

The two fell silent, and the moment felt excruciatingly longer than it would have.

Finally, "I don't drink," she answered. And the heir's gut lurched, "I've never even tried alcohol." She hesitantly locked eyes with his, and a beautiful blush spread across her cheeks. "But if it's… if it's with you, then I guess it's okay."

* * *

"Kagome-chan! How are you?" Kouga wailed through the other end of the phone, "Has he been overworking you? Goodness, is he letting you wear one of those French maid outfits-" he rambled, "How'd you escape! Do you need someone to pick you up?!"

"Kouga-kun," the girl laughed softly, "You sound as if I were taken captive or something,"

Kouga blew his nose, "Aren't you?!"

"I'm perfectly fine," she tried to reassure him, "He's been such a gentleman the whole time," she giggled, "Although I feel guilty for lying to him. I told him I needed to borrow his phone to call Sango… I had the feeling if I told him I'd call you he'd say no."

"Kagome," Kouga suddenly dropped his voice, not liking where his thought was leading him to. "Where is he right now?"

"He's washing the dishes-"

A crashing noise filled the other line, and silence. Kagome started to worry about her cousin-in-law but his soft coughing drifted through the receiver. "Kouga-kun?

"I'm alright, I'm alright." He recovered, "Can you just repeat what you said? I think I heard you wrong-"

"He's washing the dishes," she repeated, her brows raised in confusion.

Kouga made a choking noise at the other end. "He's doing household chores?"

Kagome fiddled the folds of her yukata absently, "Yeah, he's been doing everything since he 'hired' my help. Dishwashing, laundry, cleaning, cooking…" she turned towards the direction of the kitchen, listening to the clinking of dishes. "I cooked dinner, but during our meal, he warned me not to do so anymore… he'll only allow it once in a while. He won't even let me prepare his bath," she bit the corner of her lip, "He said something about not wanting to hurt my hands-"

There was a dead silence that filled the line. Then, "Kagome-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't think he wants you there as his housekeep."

They fell into another lull of silence. "Oh," the girl's grip on the phone tightened, "You don't think so?" She tried to sound as nonchalant as she could. She cast her eyes down in attempts to hide a curious emotion that was fleeting through. Sesshomaru stepped out of the kitchen and her eyes followed him in silence. She watched his tall figure hover before the wine cabinet, his hands casually tucked in his pockets-

His firm shoulders, tensed back, his long hair that hung past his waist. His golden eyes narrowed in concentration as he scanned through the rows of bottles, trying to pick out the best liquor for a booze virgin such as herself.

"Kagome. You already know what I mean, don't you?" Silence. If she could see the person on the other line, his eyes were already narrowed. "I know you, Kagome. The naive, adorable little girl who wouldn't know how to operate a hair dryer if she was to use it for the first time," Kouga smiled. "You are the sweetest, most charming woman I've known all my life… Hell, we would have been happily married with five kids by now if you said yes to my proposal. But as your best friend… and only male friend, I am also aware of that _other_ side of you…"

The girl's face remained deathly cheerful despite his scathing description, "That side that your parents are so proud of… that side that could only come from the spawn of two of the most devious people in the planet. What are you planning, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome laughed. "What are you talking about, Kouga-kun? Ah, I have to hang up," she summoned her usual bright smile, just in case he suddenly turned around and checked on her. "I'm getting my first drink tonight, don't tell mama and papa," she announced teasingly.

"What?! Kagome… w-wait!"

She put the phone down. He had finally picked, she surmised. As he opened the cabinets for a shot glass, the girl tried to steady her wavering smile. "Kouga-kun," she whispered to herself, "I hope your suspicions are right."

He turned to her, and she gave him a bright grin.

* * *

He should have known this was coming.

He really didn't believe her when she said she had no experience with alcohol, but he found out, the girl was not kidding. She had only downed one shot of Sake, and he found himself in this predicament-

They were seated on the wooden floor, on the elevation that overlooked the zen garden of the traditional house. She was leaning on his shoulder, her body heavy from the effects of alcohol. Her cheeks emitting a healthy, and probably embarrassed flush of red, and every now and then she would shift, restless.

She nuzzled her face on his seemingly comfortable shoulder. Sesshomaru tried to push her away, but the move backfired. "Kagome," he warned, his golden eyes wide in fluster. The girl instead started to crawl between his legs and she curled into his lap like a little kitten, burying her face in his yukata-clad chest. She sighed.

The gentleman in him did not want her this close. But his traitorous hands wrapped around her small figure and held her tighter. "You're drunk." He stated lamely.

"Am not," she answered, eliciting a chuckle from the heir. "You disappointed at me again?" She suddenly said.

Sesshomaru's brows met, "What made you say that?" He pulled slightly away, tilting her chin to face him, but she kept her eyes closed. She definitely appeared more flushed than before, and she fell into that sudden silence again.

"Kagome, what made you say that?" He prodded, but he was rewarded with more silence. "Hey," he said softly.

Long lashes fluttered open, and even as she was trying to avoid her gaze, her blue eyes still stood out under the dim of the moonlight. "Because you always are," she said, "You always are, whenever I try to get close."

Sesshomaru stiffened.

"Back at the modern home." She confessed, "I didn't have to call you back in the shower, because I figured out the knobs...I could have simply asked for pants, but I didn't…

I'm usually very conservative. I'm always cordial to everyone, but I'm never that trusting. But there was one big difference. I was with you." Kagome buried her face in his yukata, and she cast her head down, her ebony hair and her bangs concealing most of her delicate face. "I'm sorry," she continued, barely a whisper. "I'm sorry… I know you're annoyed at me… for always trying to force myself to you,"

"What-" he muttered, breathless. Kagome nervously bit the side of her lip, a habit he had noticed her do whenever she felt nervous.

His hands unconsciously held her tighter.

"I'm not stupid. I do notice, Sesshomaru… all the times I try to initiate my pathetic advances. Your sudden silence, that cold glare. I see it."

Her hands clutched the material of his kimono tighter, "I should have accepted the truth. You're too polite to say no, that's why you shut down, or walk away" she chuckled bitterly, "That your rebound kindness was just my wishful thinking. I should have accepted that." Her voice was now barely a whisper, "Even when we first met, I should have just accepted that."

His breath had caught in his throat.

"I'm sure you don't remember this," she said, "But we met last year at a fundraiser event."

Sesshomaru pulled away, his hands immediately settling on the curve of her cheeks, and their eyes finally met.

"It's embarrassing, it was the first time I was attracted to someone I didn't know," she admitted, "You were attacked by a bout of allergies at that time, and I feel kinda guilty for taking advantage of the situation. But you were so hard to approach. At that moment, I was scared out of my wits,"

She steadied her breath. "I rambled like an idiot, and you stared back at me with that blank, angry expression…I knew you were silently rejecting me, so I quietly made my exit. But even then, I tried to justify… maybe you were just tired and needed rest? Maybe you really were annoyed by me, but your mind would change if you knew me better? After the party, I tried to find you."

Wet streaks spilled from her eyes, running down his hands. "The whole year I tried to find you, or at least know your name. But it's odd… whenever I made progress, someone seems to ruin it. It's as if there were invisible people keeping me from you. But I never gave up…

That was why I when I stumbled on you on the elevator, I could barely believe it. I found you, but you are the Taisho heir… and it was then that I got scared again. I heard you were a perfectionist… and after the stunt that I pulled-"

"Kagome," he said, wiping her tears gently,

"So I'm sorry…" she shook her head, "I understand now. Or at least I'll try to… I'll keep my distance, I promise…"

Sesshomaru gently leaned his head against hers, and he held her gaze. "I believe you misunderstood what I meant by my silence,"

Kagome's brows met in confusion, "I did?"

He gently nodded, stroking her cheek in comfort.

"Your cold stare… your walking away… what does it all mean then?" She tried to stop her impudent crying. But everything that was happening was so embarrassing, and confusing, and he was in front of her, so unreadable it made everything more difficult.

"It means this." He dipped down, and he pressed his lips softly against hers.

The girl froze. His mouth crushed harder, prodding her to respond. Awkwardly she complied, and he took charge. He was soft, and strong, and commanding; and everything else she had imagined him to be.

Kagome resigned to his kisses with a content sigh.

He pulled away, grinning.

"What are you smiling about?" She pouted as she leaned on his chest, her breath magically stolen away.

"I just can't believe," he rested his head against hers, "All this time you were trying to seduce me."

The girl huffed, reaching out to flick her fingers on his forehead. But he caught her wrist and pulled her closer, seeking for another kiss.

Her breathing was steady, her eyes were closed.

The girl, his girl had fallen asleep.

He smiled as he leaned down to whisper to her ear, "You didn't have to, you know. Like I said, _I came into this mess already compromised_." He planted soft kisses to the crown of her head, the tip of her nose, and finally to her parted lips, relieved that he would not have to be stealing kisses anymore whenever she was asleep. "Sorry, father… It looks like I have to cancel the deal."

He gathered the sleeping girl in his arms to tuck her to bed, being very gentle not to wake her up.

What he did not see was her blue eyes were partly open in thought: she had heard the whole thing.

* * *

It was already morning when she knocked at his door, and he bent down to give her a good morning kiss. He took her hand and led her to the dining room, and he settled her down by the table. "I'll prepare breakfast, wait for me here," he said, kissing her cheek. She nodded eagerly, "Kagome, do you still have my phone by any chance? I need to make an important business call."

The girl perked up, "Oh! Yes, I do have it," she searched for her pockets and produced his smartphone. "Wait," she fumbled through the screen, scrolling, and clicking. He smiled, watching the girl in intense affection as her little tongue darted out the corner of her lip in concentration,

All the while Kagome was trying to do her task as swift as possible. She was trying to erase the call history: one, to an unregistered number which she knew was Kouga's,

Two, a call she made to one of Sesshomaru's saved contacts: _Touga Taisho._

And the last one, to another unregistered number- to her own father.

"Here!" She said, handing him the phone. "Don't stress yourself, Sesshomaru. Holler for my help if you need some," she offered.

He only replied by giving her an eager kiss on her soft lips.

* * *

The other line answered. "Hello?"

"Father," Sesshomaru started. The pot was boiling with soup, he was leaning against the island with a ladle on his left hand and the phone on his right. "About the deal… I've made a decision."

"That quick?" His father volleyed, the tone of his voice oddly nonchalant. "Figures,"

"I'm rejecting it." Sesshomaru's hold to the phone tensed, "I apologize."

"Son. I told you, I trust your judgment more than mine." He let out an exhausted breath. "What was the dealbreaker?"

Sesshomaru dropped his gaze, and recalled- the warmest soul, bright blue eyes; and he couldn't help but smile. "Every moment. Everything."

"I thought so." Touga commented offhandedly, and Sesshomaru stiffened.

"What do you mean?" He reeled,

"You think someone as healthy as me could catch the flu in the middle of summer?" Touga chuckled. "We're lucky enough to be Naraku's first choice. This whole deal- this marriage arrangement he set up between Inuyasha and Kagome…" he paused, "I know you, and I know how you've been secretly pining for her. That's why I sent _you_ to assess, and not your brother. If I didn't, you would continue to walk past this blindly and deny yourself."

Through the receiver, Sesshomaru could almost see his father grinning. "Let's just say you needed a good kick in the balls, to shove your slow ass forward."

Sesshomaru exhaled, and a grin cracked his handsome features. His shoulders shook, trying to control his laughter. "I don't know… if I should be mad at you… or fall on my knees in prostration," He bit his tongue down, restraining himself. Nervously he raked his fingers through his hair. "Father, you are one mischievous man."

"I take that as a compliment." Touga answered. "So what are you going to do, after rejecting the deal?"

"I don't know," he answered.

"I'll just warn you, son. I heard so many things… mostly good news about her, and bad news for you. If you continue to move in that puny turtle-pace such as now, you might just end up losing her."

His father ended the call. Sesshomaru stood quietly as the soup started overflowing from the pot, but the heir did not notice. His thoughts were to his father's ominous parting words.

Something shifted from behind, and he spun around.

It was Kagome, standing by the doorway, her blue eyes wide and vulnerable, her gaze piercing straight at him. "Sesshomaru?" She said so softly,

"What is it?" He said as he strode forward, his gaze immediately softening at the sight of her. But he halted:

Because she stepped back.

"Did I hear it right? Are you rejecting the deal?"

The ladle dropped out of his hands as he moved towards her, "Kagome,"

Tears instantly spilled from her blue doe eyes, "I don't know what it's all about," she held his gaze firmly, "But I know that father has been dreaming about it for months. I've never seen him so invested in a negotiation before,"

"Let me explain to you-"

"No!" She yelled, and the girl spun around and bolted through the hallway. Sesshomaru clenched his fist and followed suit, but she reached her room and she slammed the door shut on his face.

"Kagome, the deal is-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" She cried, trying to calm down her hysterics. She wiped her flowing tears at the back of her hand, "If you're not gonna say yes to the deal then I forbid you to say anything!"

Sesshomaru's jaw clenched painfully in restraint, her soft sobbing from the other side made him want to rip the door open- "Kagome, allow me to explain,"

"Is it because of me?" She whimpered, "Did you change your mind because of me? Or was your mind already made up from the start? You intended to reject the deal in the first place,"

"Kagome, " He breathed, "Would you stop being such an _immature brat_ and listen to me!" He said, too condescending than he intended it to be. And he realized it, but it was too late.

"I'm sorry…" his palms ran against her door in a panic, "I didn't mean to,"

She chuckled bitterly from behind the screen. "So the truth came out," she sniffled, " _Immature brat_. I should have known, last night was too good to be true.

And since your silence means yes, then you did intend to reject the deal right from the start.

So why keep me here?" Her sobs turned into soft moans, "What's the purpose of all of this, then? Did you have your fun? Did the little _immature brat_ provide you with the entertainment you needed?" She sobbed,

"Kagome, the deal is a marriage-"

"Just take me home," she cut him midsentence, refusing to listen, "Please, I just want to go home…"

She stopped her rant when a crashing sound hit the wood she was leaning on. He had punched the door post in frustration. "Fine!" He snarled, "Be that way! Stubborn little woman!" With one last frustrated breath, he turned to storm out.

But he paused halfway. His fists clenched at his sides,

"What would you do, Kagome? If you were faced with a deal you have everything to lose, and get absolutely nothing in return… what would you do?"

She chuckled. "Easy."

Her answer made him subtly turn to her direction,

"I would do what a true businessman would do."

"And what is that?"

He could hear shuffling of cloth at the other side, and he heard her take in a deep breath. "Negotiate." She answered. "Until I get what I want."

And his eyes subtly widened, and he turned away, swept by her seemingly innocuous words.

She listened as his footfalls disappeared on the wooden floor. She turned to his direction, the door hindering her vision. But she knew he was not around anymore, and so she lifted her head up and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

He did not see a lopsided, cunning smile form on her angelic face.

"Touga-sama, it's in the bag."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: In case you started here, this is #2 of the 2 chapters I uploaded. #1 is _Dealbreaker._ Just didn't want you to miss any of the chapters, especially as we conclude.

Thanks.

* * *

 ** _The Lethality of a Manipulative Charm_**

* * *

He stared pensively at her closed door.

Between the three sleepless days of waiting for the Higurashis to return from Europe and trying to win his stubborn girl's affection back, he had never thought a woman smaller than him would subject him into such amount of torture.

This time, it was not the interventions of outside forces, her family was not in between them.

This time, she was deliberately ignoring him.

She blocked his number, mail back whatever gifts he would try to bribe her with… he even knelt outside her business suite for a whole day, just to make her _talk_ to him.

But she was a crafty little fox… that he confirmed: when, after stepping out her door and saw him kneeling surrounded with a plethora of flowers and swooning employees, she played coy.

 _Her eyes grew wide and a beautiful blush bloomed on her perfect little cheeks._

 _"_ _Taisho-sama!" She exclaimed, punctuating it with the most innocent gasp as she ran towards him and pulled him to stand, "Oh my, you didn't have to do this!" She dusted his knees as he stood. He roughly pulled her into a tight embrace._

 _The swooning employees melted and cheered._

 _"_ _Hear me out," he pleaded, as he pulled away slightly to look at her adorable face, "Kagome. Please, stop this little game of yours and just listen to me,"_

 _Her blue eyes deepened in hue as a contemplative look passed her expression, and a soft smile settled on her lips. Tears brimmed in her eyes, "Taisho-sama…" she whispered, and she buried her face on his shirt. Just as he was about to sigh in immense relief, she tugged at his sleeve and tiptoed, as he bent down in cue that she was about to whisper him something:_ ** _"No."_**

 _The heir froze, dumbfounded._

 _She pulled away and flashed him the sweetest, most innocent smile- paired with an intentional blush that could have melted any poor sap that stood within a twenty-mile radius._

 _And that poor sap that stood within a twenty-mile radius included him._

 _"_ _Take care of yourself, Taisho-sama!" She said as she waved goodbye._

Sesshomaru stepped back from her closed door, staring at the large gift box that he placed smack in the middle of the hallway. Today was the day that Naraku and Kagura would return from Europe, and a little later from now, he would make his way to the designated meeting room and reject the stupid deal.

"Just you wait, stubborn little woman." A curious little smirk crossed his handsome face. "After this meeting, I'll make sure you won't be able to ignore me…

I'll make sure your attentions are committed only to me-

And there will be nothing else you can do. "

With one last look at the offending barrier between them, Sesshomaru turned and walked away.

* * *

"You're rejecting the deal?" Naraku remained calm, not even perturbed as he swiveled on his chair and sipped his wine.

"It's one-sided," Sesshomaru answered, remaining as stoic and emotionless as ever. "The terms are ridiculous in my end. So yes, I have to reject it."

Naraku shrugged his shoulders and placed the wine on the large desk. He stood up. "Very well then, now it's all decided… no engagement between Inuyasha and my —"

"However, I propose a negotiation." Sesshomaru suddenly said, and Naraku paused.

"I'm listening."

"You can still bind her to the Taisho family, but not through Inuyasha." With a confident stance and chin haughtily up, Sesshomaru presented his terms: "Arrange her with me. You get the Taisho heir, and we get the Higurashi heiress. It's a win-win situation, and both parties will mutually benefit."

A smirk crossed the older businessman's face, "I like this… negotiation," Naraku turned to the other person who had been standing at the far end of the desk, "Kagura?"

She strode towards Naraku and settled a hand on his arm, nodding her quiet approval.

Sesshomaru was not done. "I have one more condition."

All eyes settled on the golden-eyed businessman.

"I don't want a mere engagement ceremony." Sesshomaru firmly said. "I need this deal to be cemented, as soon as possible. Tomorrow."

Kagura gave him a smirk. "The rumors are true. You are ruthless, Sesshomaru Taisho."

Naraku's own smirk turned into a full-blown grin. "A perfect addition to our family," he complimented, and reached out to offer his hand,

"Now…do we have a deal, Taisho-san?"

* * *

"Father," Sesshomaru said through the video chat, as he sat on the back seat of their luxury sedan and the chauffeur drove through the rural roads to his rented house, "I need you to fly here immediately, I struck a deal with Naraku-san.

I'm getting married tomorrow morning."

"Oh, good, good. Izayoi! Inuyasha! Did you hear that? " His father answered, and the nonchalance in Touga's voice struck the heir as odd. It was when his father tilted the camera and he saw Inuyasha on the table, munching away, and Izayoi waving at him pleasantly — that he realized.

Why did the room look so oddly familiar?

"Keh," Inuyasha said with a mouth stuffed with food, "He cheated! She was supposed to be mine!" He finally swallowed the lump, "Well there's no helping it. Congratulations, Onii-san. And I'm saying it with a heavy heart!"

Sesshomaru almost balked. "What are you all doing in my house?" He did recognize the room. It was the same dining area where he and Kagome had dinner together, the same area where he asked her for a drink,

And Touga spun the camera back to himself, smiling.

He was sitting on the very elevation where Kagome confessed to him and they kissed.

"You didn't have to call us, we're already here." Touga informed. "That girl of yours… she is one scary woman."

"Father, just what are you talking about-"

"Seriously, Sesshomaru… she is the daughter of the two most cunning people on planet Earth. She shouldn't be all rainbows and butterflies, as much as she really is, though…" he pondered.

Sesshomaru sat stiff, as Touga continued his explanation.

"She called me. After she explained everything to you, she heard you murmur about canceling the deal. So she called me… and I told her all about the deal."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened. "She knows?" The heir's brows met in confusion, as he recalled her reaction after she found out. The tears, the yelling-

The three-day torture afterward.

"Then what was this torment all about?" He said in disbelief.

Touga only laughed, "Well for starters, let me tell you about everything in that phone call."

 _Kagome expressed her happiness as he assured her: the feeling was mutual between Sesshomaru and her._

 _"_ _I'm glad that you both feel the same way. But Kagome-chan… I just have this one concern. I know your father, and I know that he has a Plan B, just in case his original plan doesn't fall through."_

 _"_ _Taisho-sama," Kagome answered, "You might be right…"_

 _"_ _I don't know what it is, but I have strong suspicions. And if my suspicions are correct, that is where my fear starts to grow. I know Sesshomaru, and he can be one traditional idiot. He'll take his time to court you, make sure you're comfortable with him… lay you on a velvet pillow… but you don't need that._

 _Not if your father is hellbent on marrying you off before you turn twenty. And I've heard of your loyal tendencies- you'd do anything to keep your parent's favor,"_

 _Kagome fell silent._

 _"_ _That's what's scaring me right now. He'll reject the deal, and you'll fall into the hands of another family." Touga let out an exhausted breath. "That slowpoke. He needs a stronger kick in the balls right now…_

 _Maybe I should go there myself and negotiate for him-"_

 _"_ _Don't." Kagome said, "Don't do that. I want him to fight for me… I want him to do the negotiation."_

 _"_ _Kagome-chan, I understand where you're coming from, but-"_

 _"_ _I'll make him negotiate," she suddenly said, and Touga frowned._

 _"_ _We can't lose any precious time."_

 _"_ _Ah, Taisho-sama…" she pressed, and he could almost see the grin in her angelic little face. Touga dropped silent as she continued. "Did I have to repeat myself? I said I'll make him negotiate. I might have to yank some heartstrings and twist his guts a little, but I guarantee you._

 _Not an engagement…_

 _But a marriage proposal. At the end of the week."_

 _His hackles stood at the laced mischievousness… and hidden poison… of her pleasant voice. It was then that he realized, he was talking to Kagome, the Higurashi couple's most lethal weapon, their"big gun" when it came to negotiations._

 _"_ _If he is as hesitant as you say, then I might just add in a few heartbroken hysterics and several tears to kick up the pace," she said in the sweetest voice. "So don't worry. I've got it in the bag, Taisho-sama. He'll realize what he's losing, and he'll be so fired up he won't be willing to go another day without me."_

 _Touga couldn't suppress the smirk that was forming in his face, as he recalled a portion of her rumors- one of the nicer ones-_ ** _"Her charm is so strong, she'll make you want to jump off a skyscraper— willingly— if she told you to."_**

Of course, he thought. As expected of the Higurashi heiress, who was well known for her infamous cunning, and notoriously manipulative charm.

* * *

\- The following day :) -

Camera flashes and eager reporters rushed to the Taisho heir as he stepped out of his car. Sesshomaru threaded his way through the crowd, shielded by bodyguards as they led him to the guarded Torii gates of the closed-off shrine.

He entered and climbed the stone steps with ease, his footsteps light and deliberate. When he reached the end, he paused to dust off some fallen leaves that had settled on his black-and-gray traditional kimono, and he swiped his high ponytail off his shoulder.

"About time you'd arrive, cheater."

He lifted his gaze. Inuyasha was standing before him, his arms crossed and holding a disappointed look on his face. "This was supposed to be my wedding." He pouted, and Sesshomaru reached out and messed his hair.

"You'll get your chance soon," he promised, "But Kagome, she's mine."

"I know, I know. Congratulations, Onii-san." He gave him a lopsided grin, and Sesshomaru chuckled.

"Son," His father wrapped him in a fond hug, followed by his stepmother Izayoi, as she tugged him into the considerably large, but familiar crowd. "Greet your guests," she dragged him into the grounds, "That's the least you can do for their efforts in coming here with such a short notice."

As Sesshomaru delivered a thousand thank you's and apologies, his eyes kept wandering in the direction of the shrine steps. He was starting to get nervous…

Then a stirring from the tail end of the crowd caught his attention.

"She's here," was the single uttered phrase, and he strode with hurried steps towards the stairs. He stopped and caught his breath.

Sesshomaru ran down, meeting her halfway.

* * *

"Ah, hello, Sesshomaru," she greeted as she looked up, stopping her ascent. His black-clad figure did not shadow the all-white wedding kimono she was wearing, "Good to see you again."

Without any words, he reached out for her wrist and dragged her roughly towards him, the girl almost stumbling from the steps under her feet. But she found herself engulfed in his familiar tall figure, and she blushed. "Eh?"

"You sly little fox," he whispered in her ear, "Manipulating me with your tears and smiles- you've already ensnared me, you didn't have to torture me, you know."

Kagome wiggled her hands out and embraced him back, "I just wanted to make sure you knew how miserable you'd be without me," she said, ever so innocently, " And I also wanted to make sure I got that proposal. I found out about papa's Plan B: I called him after I talked to your father. If the deal would fall and no negotiations were made on your part, he would have me marry off Doctor Hojo of the Akitoki Family-"

She stopped when he squeezed her small frame harder to him. He nuzzled his face in the curve of her delicate neck, "No. You're mine."

Kagome giggled, pulling away. "Oh?"

"And I'll make sure you're aware of that," He grinned, "Until the day we die."

Sesshomaru dipped down to capture her sweet, smiling lips when someone from behind Kagome cleared his throat. The couple paused and they turned around-

The whole Higurashi family was five steps behind them, they had been there all along.

"Don't you think that should be saved for the last part of the ceremony?" Kouga teased, as his wife Ayame giggled from his side.

"Let's go," Naraku said in all his cold glory, dragging an elegantly poised Kagura with him.

"You wouldn't want to delay the wedding any further." the matriarch said, "I heard the priest is as old as father time," they brushed past Kagome, her mother giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

Sango winked at her and Shippo gave her the thumbs up.

Kagome laughed, tugging Sesshomaru with her as they followed them to the shrine.

Sesshomaru permitted her to lead him with her warm hand enclosing his. He was allowing her to lead the way, and he so easily bent to her will. He smirked- he will have to tame his sly little fox starting tonight, and every night from now on.

But when they finally reached the altar, she turned to him, and she smiled.

Sesshomaru smiled back, as he realized-

He was at her mercy... and he did not mind at all.

* * *

 ** _End_**


End file.
